1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and, in particular, to a method and apparatus for processing transactions. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for preventing duplicate transactions from occurring in a data processing system.
2. Description of Related Art
The Internet, also referred to as an xe2x80x9cinternetworkxe2x80x9d, is a set of computer networks, possibly dissimilar, joined together by means of gateways that handle data transfer and the conversion of messages from the sending network to the protocols used by the receiving network (with packets if necessary). When capitalized, the term xe2x80x9cInternetxe2x80x9d refers to the collection of networks and gateways that use the TCP/IP suite of protocols.
The Internet has become a cultural fixture as a source of both information and entertainment. Many businesses are creating Internet sites as an integral part of their marketing efforts, informing consumers of the products or services offered by the business or providing other information seeking to engender brand loyalty. Many federal, state, and local government agencies are also employing Internet sites for informational purposes, particularly agencies which must interact with virtually all segments of society such as the Internal Revenue Service and secretaries of state. Providing informational guides and/or searchable databases of online public records may reduce operating costs. Further, the Internet is becoming increasingly popular as a medium for commercial transactions.
Currently, the most commonly employed method of transferring data over the Internet is to employ the World Wide Web environment, also called simply xe2x80x9cthe Webxe2x80x9d. Other Internet resources exist for transferring information, such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Gopher, but have not achieved the popularity of the Web. In the Web environment, servers and clients effect data transaction using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), a known protocol for handling the transfer of various data files (e.g., text, still graphic images, audio, motion video, etc.). The information in various data files is formatted for presentation to a user by a standard page description language, the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). In addition to basic presentation formatting, HTML allows developers to specify xe2x80x9clinksxe2x80x9d to other Web resources identified by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). Retrieval of information, such as Webpages, on the Web is generally accomplished with an HTML-compatible browser. The Internet also is widely used to transfer applications to users using browsers. With respect to commerce on the Web, individual consumers and business use the Web to purchase various goods and services. In offering goods and services, some companies offer goods and services solely on the Web while others use the Web to extend their reach.
Further, The Internet is increasingly being used for electronic commerce, also referred to as xe2x80x9ce-commerce.xe2x80x9d One example of this use is for financial transactions between consumers and financial institutions. Programs, such as Quicken and MSMoney, are used by consumers to communicate financial transactions to banks and other financial institutions. Quicken is a registered trademark of Intuit, Inc., located in Mountain View, Calif. while MSMoney is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation, located in Redmond, Wash. Consumers use these programs to perform various transactions, such as, for example, balance inquiry, bill payment, transfers, and account ledgers. The protocol used by Quicken and MS Money is open financial exchange (OFX). Open financial exchange is a specification for the electronic change of financial data between financial institutions, businesses, and consumers via the Internet. This protocol was created by CheckFree Intuit, and Microsoft in early 1997. More information on OFX may be found at: www.ofx.net. A number of banks belong to Integrion Financial Network, which is a consortium consisting of banks, such as Bank of America, Citibank, Comerica and Bank One, and including International Business Machines Corporation. These banks, however, use a different protocol from Quicken and MSMoney. The protocol is called the xe2x80x9cGold standardxe2x80x9d (also referred to as xe2x80x9cGoldxe2x80x9d). Gold is independent of operating systems, programming language, and communications/messaging software. The standard is directed towards financial institutions. More information on the Integrion Financial Network, the owners, and the Gold standard may be found at: www.integrion.com. Additionally, Integrion banks normally do not use OFX for transactions.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an improved method and apparatus for handling transactions between two different protocols.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for processing electronic transactions. A batch request is received from a client. The batch request includes a plurality of electronic transactions. A determination is then made as to whether the batch request has been processed. Responsive to a determination that a portion of the batch request has been processed, the electronic transactions are sent for processing. Responsive to a determination that a portion of the batch request has been processed, a signal is sent indicating a check for duplicate electronic transactions should be made with respect to the electronic transactions. Responsive to a determination that the batch request is unprocessed, the electronic transactions are sent for processing. An indication is received each time an electronic transaction from the plurality of electronic transactions is processed. Responsive to receiving an indication of all of the electronic transactions, a response is sent to the client indicating that the batch request has been processed.